The rookie forward has played with a heavier presence in his second stint with the big club, and that is something that should pay dividends in the playoffs.
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WASHINGTON —
Johnny Beecher gave himself an hour or two to be ticked off. Then he went back to work.
It was the middle of January when the Bruins sent him to Providence to polish some areas of his game that had slipped a bit. After making the varsity following a strong camp, it wasn’t the call he expected but sometimes the rookie wall can hit hard.
Beecher decided it was better to move forward than to look back.
“It was kind of just one of those things where you just realize it’s not personal and move on from it. It’s part of the business at the end of the day and you’ve just got to kind of use it as fuel, if anything, to kind of motivate you a little bit more,” Beecher said following Monday’s morning skate at Capital One Arena ahead of the Bruins’ 2-0 loss to the Capitals. “And I am super close with the guys down there, so it really wasn’t the end of the world. Go down and play hockey with some of your best buddies still. So, I mean the situation can be much worse at the end of the day.”
“I was able to go down there and build up some more confidence, play a little bit bigger of a role, get in a little bit better shape, just by playing more minutes,” said Beecher. “And I got a ton of good buddies and really close with the coaching staff down there. So, a lot of positives came out from it. I worked real hard and I was able to get the call back up and I’ve been chipping away right now, just still trying to learn and get better. There’s so many highs and lows throughout an 82-game season, especially as a rookie, and just kind of taking them as they come and go right now and trying to get as prepared as I can for the playoffs.”
Beecher has played with a heavier presence in his second stint with the big club, and that is something that should pay dividends when in the playoffs.
“This is a big reason why I’m here; to play this style of hockey, play north-south, play physical. I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “The guys have given me some advice. You can even see it in the last 5-10 games, just how much the league has changed, and people are fighting for their lives now. I’m excited for Game 1. I’m sure there’ll be a lot of jitters, but it’s always a good thing. So, I’m excited.”
Playing with Maroon also has Beecher pumped, as he is anxious to learn from a veteran who has been through the
postseason wars.
“He’s an unbelievable guy. He’s everything you wished he would be and more,” said Beecher. “He’s fit in great with the guys and I’m excited to play with him. He’s an unbelievable player and hopefully we mesh pretty well out there.”
